Social Media Eases Middle to High School Transition

The transition from middle school to high school can often be daunting; however, students in Memphis City (Tenn.) Schools have found that Gaggle, which provides online learning tools, can help ease this changeover with its social media features.

“It’s very important that we acknowledge what the developmental literature tells us,” says Irving Hamer, MCS deputy superintendent of operations, technology and innovation. “Middle school students are seeking relationships and want to be a part of a crew of children with like minds. These adolescents are going to figure out a way to be engaged digitally.”

Gaggle, which originally began in 1998 offering safe email access to students and teachers, has since expanded to incorporate social media and communication features to its Web platform. MCS introduced Gaggle to its 110,000 students in 2008 with the unique intent of supporting middle school students. Since then, they have seen the site’s users increase and are in the process of expanding it to grades 3-12.

MCS has particularly found its social wall to be useful for students looking to connect to students with similar interests.

The portal is similar to Facebook, says Andrea Keith, director of client engagement at Gaggle, where each student has their own profile, ability to update their status, post pictures and links and join groups based on their classes or interests—without the typical cyber risks.

“Everything, whether it be a wall post or an instant message, goes through our filter,” s